Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) [Hardcover]

Professor Hasia R. Diner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1983 | Series: The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science

"The most sensitive treatment of Irish culture... [and] the most complete history we have of the Irish female experience." -- Labor History

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most sensitive treatment of Irish culture... [and] the most complete history we have of the Irish female experience." -- Labor History

"A vision of women with their own economic aspirations, actively engaged in the climb towards financial security." -- Women's Review of Books

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1St Edition edition (November 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801828716
• ISBN-13: 978-0801828713
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,731,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile addition to anyone's Irish library, January 28, 2001

By 

Emmet Christoir O'Tuathaigh (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) (Paperback)

Although at first glance Diner's exhaustive study appears to be fraught with the political correctness and feminist biases that plague so many American academics, in reality _Erin's Daughters_ portrays the story of a gallant group that was able to overcome barriers of poverty, ignorance, and disease to succeed in a New World. The Irish women received no help from the government, from existing charities, or from the Catholic Church, but they were still able to reach the promised land of middle-class America due to their focus on economic goals. The women of Ireland carried their cultural values to America with them, playing a key role in the development of the greatest nation on earth. In order to understand this role, I urge you to read this book.

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Questionable scholarship, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) (Paperback)

The second half of the book is clearly superior to the first half. The lack of hard data from prior to and immediately after the Famine seems to lead the author to some curious and questionable conclusions regarding the economic motivation of the Irish women in America. She repeatedly attributes late marriage and spinsterhood to the "traditional" cultural separation of Irish women and men along with the general lack of character of the Irish male. She fails to examine the profound impact of the Famine on women--watching their families and friends starve to death along with forced immigration--and their determination to prevent this from happening again. I found her theories rather determindly sexist.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!!!, January 11, 2012

By 

Irish (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) (Paperback)

I loved this book. If you are born from Irish immigrant lineage, it will explain a lot of your family history and why the maternal Irish side of the family had such dominance. The book also explains the love and solidarity of many large Irish families..As my County Sligo born grandmother used to say of the six siblings who immingrated to the NYC area in the early 1900's, "When one was in trouble, we were all in trouble!!"